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Intermolecular Dehydration
Alcohols can also undergo a reaction known as intermolecular
dehydration in which the H- comes from one alcohol molecule and the -OH comes
from another alcohol molecule. When that takes place, a different kind of compound, called
an ether, is formed. We will deal with ethers in the next lesson, but we
will look at the reaction now.
| If you look at the equation shown below (and in Example 10-b in your
workbook) you can see what happens to the molecules in this reaction. |
H H
| |
H-C-C-O-H
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H H |
+ |
H H
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H-O-C-C-H
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H H |
H2SO4
¾¾¾®
heat |
H H H H
| | | |
H-C-C-O-C-C-H
| | | |
H H H H |
+ H2O |
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| If the -OH group comes off of a carbon atom in the first molecule, that
carbon atom will have to form a bond to something else. Also, if the hydrogen atom in the
second molecule comes off of the oxygen atom, that oxygen atom will have to form a bond to
something else. That carbon atom in the first molecule bonds to the oxygen atom in the
second molecule and forms a new larger molecule. |
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| Also, a water molecule is formed by the H- and -OH joining
together. Of course, the actual mechanism is more involved than that, but, overall, that
is the result. This reaction, by the way, is also reversible. |
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E-mail instructor:
Eden Francis
Clackamas Community College
©2001, 2003 Clackamas Community College, Hal Bender
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